This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
Jack is an 18 year old hooker in Manhattan. He lives in a hostel with his boyfriend Tom, an aspiring photographer who's nervous about Jack's criminal tendencies, and they're planning a future together. The couple is very much in love. After a few minutes enter Ken, a married man with a wife and a kid; who takes a sudden fancy for Jack. After playing hard ball, Jack finally gives in and agrees to go an all expense paid trip to Miami with him and an addition thousand dollars. Things change when he is in Miami and rather than asking for money, he wants Ken's help for him and his boyfriend. But the next day Jack, realizes that Ken lied about his wife and he loses trust in Ken and leaves his condo. Back in streets, he takes back to hustling to make money for the day but unfortunately gets stuck with an abusive client. Searching for Jack everywhere, Ken invites Tom to Miami where they save Jack just in time from the client and the lovers end up killing the guy.
As I mentioned above, the film tries to tackle way too many issues in its last 30 minutes. Drugs, crime, prostitution and even the fact that Jack may have some psychological issues. He is in very much love with Tom but the sudden switch from things going ok to Jack's outburst was random. The film makers had quite a few urgent topics on their mind, but trying to weave them all into one single narrative makes it feel bit contrived. The spiral downward is perhaps a bit too fast. The pacing in the third act can feel a tad rushed. . This lack of nuance undermines any core message that might be in here. The acting by Jack is very very good as per his character demands. He shares a very good chemistry with Tom and together they make for likeable teen couple. But the problem is as an audience you never reach a stage where you empathize with what's going on around them. Ken, on the other hand, when introduced, seems like an out and proud gay man but he is shown as a married man with a kid. Somehow the 2 didn't go well together. And I have to point about the OTT Date-rape guy whom Jack and Tom ultimately kill. He's over-the-top, hyperactive, horny, restless, loud and aggressive, almost to the point of sadism and makes me sick that people like that actually exist.
While the film is aesthetically pleasing with some stunning shots throughout, the narrative leaves some elements to be desired. These issues are forgotten in LGBTQ community and need to be talked and addressed but as a film, this is slightly disappointing. (4.5/10)
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